Topic: parsnips

[Billie]

Is anyone having problems with germination of parsnips I have sown and resown but still only get very patchy results.

[debster]

my parsnips are fine but caulis not

[OliveOil]

my sons parsnips are great in his raised bed... i never got chance to put any in i must admit.

[lorna]

Hate them but growing some in a bucket for fun Middle daughter told me today she likes them so they won't go to waste. Don't know where she got to taste them cos I have never cooked them. First time of growing for me and excellent germination.
Lorna

[Mrs Ava]

Parsnips are famously tricky to germinate.  Seed must be fresh, and I can vouch for that having sown 2 rows with last years left over seed and getting a grand total of 3 'snips.  Brand new packet and now have a lovely thick row of seedlings.  Some people pre-germinate them by placing the seeds on a damp piece of kitchen towel, putting it inside a tuperware box, closing the lid, and placing it in the airing cupboard.  Check on it daily and keep the towel damp and eventually you will see little tails growing, the roots.  You can then VERY CAREFULLY plant these little babies into a seed drill on your allotment, but you don't want to go breaking the tail.  You could sow again now, but you won't get monster 'snips.  Even so, you will be rewarded with decent sized roots during the winter so it has to be worth a go.

[Jeannine]

My late sown parsnips were in a raised bed that shifted 4 feet in the flood without disturbing the seedlings!! It took all the soil with it.

[Billie]

Thank you so much for all of your tips. I have now sewn some more do not expect miracles but will let you know how they turn out

[Rosyred]

My parsnips have done really well this year but they don't like weeds and like alot of rain. True and tender never grew but hollow crown did. Not sure if they did better this year as i've used this ground before.

[Rhubarb Thrasher]

I thinned out a row of parsnips yesterday, and the largest of the thinnings were an acceptable size already, after 4 months. The variety was White Gem, not a big parsnip variety, and germination was great (too good as it turned out)

[davyw1]

Just a little bit of persistence

[Hot_Potato]

Wow!   don't they look good - well the whole lot does :)

think I might try sowing a few more (don't mind if they are small)  mine are spasmodic too altho the ones that have germinated are doing well

[curly kale]

Mine have turned out a bit strange.  I used one packet of seed to sew four x 10ft rows in the same bed.  The first two rows had a 100% germination success rate.  The third row was about 70% and the fourth row (more towards the centre of the bed) only had two germinate.   

[Susiebelle]

Third time lucky -the previous two yrs mine were rubbish, ground inherited needs lots of TLC - but this year I thought I would go mad- I used a crow bar to make holes which I filled with compost then a station sowed 3 seeds each hole, and low & behold all three germinated and like Rhubarb Thrasher when I thinned last week I was able to use the thinnings as baby veg! I roasted them and they were very nice.

[allaboutliverpool]

My early parsnips planted in April from a new pack had patchy germination. The second filling in from an old open packet had 100% germination.

I am convinced that it is temperature/moisture that is the most important.



See my urban myths:-

http://www.allaboutliverpool.com/allaboutallotments1_Myths.html

[Si D]

My first attempt at parsnips - I believe that most have come up but I mistook a fair few for weeds and yanked them out before they could develop  ::)

Still got two rows left after a re-shuffle and they are doing OK.  I put them in during a hot spell and kept the ground quite damp for the first few weeks.  Dunno if this helped or if it was just beginner's luck..

[gordonsveg]

Planted mine in tubes in the g/h 99% germinated, planted into deep box when they were 3" high, with all this rain growing away very strong,but keeping my fingers crossed.
  I did some earlier and they have masses of top growth but i`m a bit frightened to see whats underneath.

[Multiveg]

Parsnips are famously tricky to germinate.  Seed must be fresh, and I can vouch for that having sown 2 rows with last years left over seed and getting a grand total of 3 'snips.  Brand new packet and now have a lovely thick row of seedlings.  Some people pre-germinate them by placing the seeds on a damp piece of kitchen towel, putting it inside a tuperware box, closing the lid, and placing it in the airing cupboard.  Check on it daily and keep the towel damp and eventually you will see little tails growing, the roots.  You can then VERY CAREFULLY plant these little babies into a seed drill on your allotment, but you don't want to go breaking the tail.  You could sow again now, but you won't get monster 'snips.  Even so, you will be rewarded with decent sized roots during the winter so it has to be worth a go.

Can beat you on that - 3 rows and 1 parsnip (OH harvested it last Friday - yum).

[glosterwomble]

I also had TERRIBLE germination of parsnips and carrots. My first lot of Parsnips never appeared, I had used brand new seeds but it was at the time of the hot weather in April time, I have resown with a different variety (brand new seeds) and had very patchy results but at least I have got some.

My resowing of Carrots was slightly better and I appear to have a reasonable crop of those growing.

[ThomsonAS]

I've tried a couple of sowings - but results have been pathetic and I've given up this year.

I thought it was down to me not caring for the seeds properly - so I feel slightly less stupid for knowing that others are finding it tough too.

Alastair

[southernsteve]

My first batch sown back in March failed to show. Tried a second lot in toilet roll holders filled with compost. Looked like they were going the same way so third time lucky I sowed a whole packet on some damp kitchen roll on a tray, covered with a plastic bag and left them on a shaded window sill. Within days the whole lot were germinating so I used a pair of tweezers and transfered them to toilet roll holders (3 in each) and planted in the ground. Every one survived until I started thinning them out, then I lost a few, otherwise they are all doing well. And would you believe the second lot sown have come through too. Still you can never have too many parsnips!